Are you experiencing one or both of the following?

There is a lag between the time I type and the characters appearing. 

Incorrect characters shown when I am typing. 

If you are using a wireless keyboard the solution may be as simple as a poor wireless signal. Just follow the suggestions below to rectify this issue.

Your keyboard needs to be within approximately a ruler length from the receiver, move it closer to the keyboard.

There should be no objects between the receiver and your keyboard, move those speakers or any other item that is between the two devices.

Your keyboard batteries may be at the end of their life, replace them with new ones. The battery compartment is on the underside of your keyboard.

Have you recently added another wireless device to your desk or nearby?  This additional device maybe interfering with the receiver’s signal. If you need to keep this additional device nearby you can do one of two things:

Reset the new device to a different frequency.

Re-sync you keyboard and receiver.

The receiver signal will be hampered if you have a large metal surface nearby. You will need to either move the metal surface or the location of your PC, laptop or Mac.

You may have a buffering problem caused by other communications in the area.

Finally the cause could be that you are running other programs in the background such as a malware scan. Just be patient and your keyboard should function properly again once this task(s) are completed.

Is your problem that you have a stuck key? 

If your keyboard is still within the warranty period and you have one more keys stuck in the down position you can take it back to the store from which you purchased it.

If your keyboard is no longer under warranty you can try to remove and clean the key(s) or take it to a computer repair business for fixing.

Before attempting to fix the key(s) yourself you need to consider and do the following:-

We don’t recommend that you attempt to fix the stuck key(s) yourself if it is a laptop keyboard or a particularly expensive external keyboard as you may cause more damage than good.

If you key(s) have become stuck after a liquid spill of a laptop keyboard there may be other damage to your machine and it is highly recommended that you do not use your laptop until it has been repaired by a computer repair business as with liquid that has leaked to other components of your laptop, if you continue to use it you will most likely cause even greater damage and possibly end up with a computer that cannot be repaired.

If you have a really thin wireless keyboard it is going to be almost impossible to replace and in this instance we recommend you purchase a new keyboard.

If however your keyboard is neither a laptop keyboard nor a particularly pricey keyboard and thus easily replaceable it may be worth a try to repair it yourself.

Firstly turn off or unplug the keyboard before you try anything. 

Use a flat head screwdriver or butter knife to gently and carefully pry the key(s) out. 

Clean both the underside of the key and the key’s slot with a swab of alcohol. 

Gently snap the key(s) back in place on the keyboard. 

If you have one of the longer keys stuck in the depressed position such as the Return key or Spacebar you will find a small metal rod under these keys. You need to insert this rod into the key and the keyboard before snapping the key back in place. 

If your problem that your keyboard is typing in the wrong language? 

If this is the difficulty that you are encountering you just need to change the language on your computer. You will find the choice of languages within the Control Panel.

Affordable Computer Repairs and Service is a Brisbane based computer repair and IT service business. We upgrade, repair and maintain desktops, Macs and laptops and offer many other IT services. You can contact us by calling 3397 1215.

 

Why won’t the Keys on my Keyboard Work Properly?

Affordable Computer Repairs and Service

Below we have provided some computer repair tips, if after trying out these suggestions you still have a problem, we are a Brisbane computer repairs business and happy to provide one of our many services if you need them.

Reboot

Sometimes we forget that a simple reboot can solve a multitude of problems.  Rebooting should always be your first port of call.  If the screen is frozen you may need to force a shut down by holding the power button down until the machine turns off.  If this does not turn off your computer try turning it off at the wall.  For a laptop you will need to remove the battery.

Back up

If you have managed to successfully reboot your computer we recommend that you now back up all your files and data in case there is a more serious problem involved and your computer freezes again.  We can’t stress often enough how important it is to regularly back up we have many customers who haven’t done so and with a failed hard drive if our data recovery service is unable to retrieve your data then this can either be very expensive to have your files retrieved by an expert data recovery business or even worse not possible and you could lose your work and those treasured family photos.

Virus Check

Another bone of contention – you need to regularly update your antivirus software and ensure that the program is running.  It is noted however that no matter what security steps you take your computer still has the potential to become infected.

If your computer is running slow or keeps freezing it is a good idea to run a virus scan and if your machine is infected to delete all the malware that you may find.

Virus Programs

If you have more than one active antivirus software running at the same time this can cause conflicts.  Running two antivirus software programs can result in your machine running slow and can also cause it to crash.  Delete one of these programs.

Duplicate Programs

If for some reason you have install two copies of the same software program you are likely to run into trouble. Windows Control Panel lists all the software that is installed on your machine, check for duplicates – then remove both copies.  Re-install only one copy and find out if this is your problem.

Recent Installations

If your problem is timed to a recent installation that you have done this could be your problem.  Uninstall the device or software by going to Control Panel, selecting Add or remove programs and then choosing your recent installation.  If your machine now runs okay you can try to reinstall the software.

System Restore

If none of the above recommendations solve your problem you can try a system restore.  A system restore has the potential to revert your computer back to the last state in which it was working well.  Go to the Start button; choose All programs, Accessories, System tools, System restore.  Now if you have an available restore point you will see it listed with the date at which it was done.  Follow the step by step wizard and you may be lucky to have your computer back working properly again.

After trying some or all of these tips and your computer is still running slow or freezing please give us a call at Affordable Computer Repairs and Service on 3397 1215 and for an affordable fee we will repair your machine.

Why is my Laptop randomly turning off?

When a laptop starts to randomly turn off, it can be very annoying and time-consuming. There are many reasons why this may occur and in some instances, you may be able to solve the problem yourself.

Failed Motherboard

If your motherboard has failed you either need to call a reputable computer repairs business or consider the purchase of a new laptop.

Faulty Fan

If your fan has died, it can be quite inexpensive to have a computer repair company install a new one for you.

Power Adaptor

An AC power adaptor may cause your machine to turn off if it senses an overload of power drain. The power adaptor may also be faulty. If the problem does not occur when you are using the battery or another power adaptor, then this will be the cause and you will need to purchase a new power adaptor.

Memory Failure

It is quite possible that you could have memory failure caused by your laptop turning off and on. You will need to reset the memory modules to ensure that the connection is good. It might be an idea to remove the memory modules one at a time and then test the laptop with each module to determine where the problem is as you may need to replace one or more of the modules.

Virus

A virus on your laptop may be the cause of the machine intermittently turning off. You need to ensure that your antivirus software is up to date then run a full scan and remove any malware that might be on the system.

Overheating Processor

An accumulation of dust and participles on your machine can cause problems with your fan which can lead to overheating of the processor which in turn leads to your machine randomly turning off and on.  In this instance, you need to clean all the dust etc off your machines internal working – or call a repair company to do this for you.

Poor Cooling

With an older laptop, it may just be that it is too hot. Try using the machine in an air-conditioned room and see if this resolves the issue.

If you are unable to resolve this issue, please call us at Affordable Computer Repairs and Service on 3397 1215or 0409 974 707- 6 days a week.

How to Speed Up Your Computer

How Do I Speed Up My Computer?

Age Of Your Computer

Over time, new programs and updates have greater system requirements. If your computer is more than five years old, it is difficult to have the machine running at an acceptable rate. If thinking about whether to purchase a new machine or repair your current computer, we have written a blog on the pros and cons to help you decide.

Browsers

Different web browsers can perform differently and by changing to a different web browser, it could have a faster loading speed.

Check Your Hard Drive

It is important to check if there is an issue with your hard drive disk. Running programs such as Run SanDisk as well as Run Defrag (for data storage) could assist with speeding up your computer. It may be an idea to upgrade to a faster hard drive if your computer is running quite slow.

CPU

The CPU may slow down to prevent overheating.

Defrag

It is important that you close all programs on your computer before undertaking a defrag. Defragging your PC can be time-consuming, so we suggest running this application overnight. Here are the instructions for completing a defrag;

Click on the start menu, select Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then click on the disk Defragmenter icon.

Display

In older machines, that is those with an old graphics card, adjusting the display setting can help to speed up your computer.

Drivers

Drivers which are out of date can slow down a computer. If this is the case for you, we suggest considering purchasing the latest driver for your machine. Old video drivers in particular can create more issues for your computer.

Free Hard Drive Space

The hard drive disk becomes overloaded over time due to new programs and applications as well as any upgrades. If your computer has between 200 to 500 MB of free hard drive space or less, this could be the reason that your computer is running slow. To increase your free storage, you can delete program files that are no longer in use as well as any unimportant an unused documents, photos and movies. The control panel lists all the program on your machine, which makes it easy to select and delete unwanted programs. It is also recommended that you remove all temporary internet files listing in the Windows Temp directory on the C drive.

Hardware Problems

It is possible that the tips and tricks on how to speed up your computer we have provided have not assisted you. This could be that your machine has one or more hardware problem. These are generally more expensive repairs but can still be cost-effective depending on the age and nature of your computer. For most users, the best way to determine the problem is usually to take the machine to a reputable computer repair business and have a diagnostic done on the computer.

Memory Upgrade

It is likely that you will need to upgrade the memory of your computer, even if your machine is two years old. It is relatively inexpensive to upgrade your machine memory and it can significantly increase the speed of your machine.

Adding more RAM to your machine is a cost-effective way of increasing the speed of your machine. At Affordable Computer Repairs and Service, we can do this for you at an affordable rate.

Operating System

Sometimes the best way to speed up your computer is to reinstall the operating system and start afresh. This can be a lengthy process so this should be completed when you are not needing to use your machine.

Overheating

Overheating of your machine can impact the performance and speed of your computer. Our blog on how to keep your machine free of dust may be of some interest to you as this can be a cause of overheating computers.

Programs Running In The Background

Several different programs can run in the background when you are using your computer and working on a particular application. The easiest wat to speed up your computer is to disable programs that automatically start up when opening your computer.

Speed Up Start-Up

Your computer will run slower if there are more programs opening up during computer start up. Disabling those that are use infrequently should assist with your laptop loading speed. This can be done by running MSConfig and withdrawing applications in the Home tab. You should also disable all indexing and accessories of the internet to further improve the speed of your computer.

Two Or More Anti-Virus Programs Running At The Same Time

Anti-virus programs can significantly slow down the speed of your computer. It is important to only ever have one anti-virus program running automatically at any time. You can also have another couple that you can manually run weekly or fortnightly.

Virus – Any Type Of Malware

Viruses and spyware can significantly slow down your machine. Check for malware by running more than one anti-malware programs and delete any malware you find. It is very important that your virus software is up to date and running frequently. Some malware can be extremely difficult to remove, such as the Federal Police Virus. If there is a particularly malicious virus that you can’t remove, give Affordable Computer Repairs and Service a call. For $190, we can remove the virus from your computer and provide additional protection.

Windows Indexing Service

It is likely that you do not require this service, and that it is currently slowing down your machine. Windows indexes all your files to allow you to do a file search. If you do not use this service, you will need to disable the Windows Indexing System.

Affordable Computer Repairs and Service
48 Octantis Street, Coorparoo, 4151
Ph: 3397 1215 or 0409 974 707
Email: markkc@affordablecomputerrepairs.com.au

Suggestions on How to Maintain your Computer

If you want your computer to perform as best it can it is important to maintain it. Over time, it is likely that your PC, Laptop or Mac will not run as well as when you first got it. This decline in performance can be the result of not maintaining your computer – as well as the increased system resources required for newer programs and applications – but that is a separate topic.

Back to maintaining your computer, there are several things that you should do to assist your machine to perform and these are provided for you below.

Data Backup

We have many, many customers coming to us with a computer that won’t boot – and they have not backed up their data for a significant period of time. Usually, we are able to retrieve their data but there are instances where years of family photographs and the like are lost. We cannot stress enough the importance of backing up your data and keeping the back up stored away from your machine in another location or using cloud storage.

Storing your files

All your documents should be kept in a single folder with subdirectories. The Windows default folder called Documents is a good way to go. This is particularly important when you want to back up your files as it is a much easier job than if they were stored all over the place.

Remove dust from your computer

A build-up of dust can cause your machine to overheat and this can cause quite serious problems with your machine – our post on dust and cigarette smoke and your computer may be of some interest to you. The first step is to keep your computer away from dust prone areas such as a dusty floor. Good maintenance includes cleaning the dust from your computer. We recommend that you use a can of compressed air to blow out the dust – you will need to take the sides off the computer.

A really thorough clean would include disassembling parts from your machines such as the fan, the CPU and video card heatsinks. Please, unless you are computer savvy, don’t attempt this as it may cause more problems than what it resolves.

Update and run anti-virus and spyware scans regularly

If you use the net it is essential that you have a good performing anti-virus program running. We also recommend that you have two other anti-virus programs loaded on your machine and that you manually run these about once a fortnight. Please remember to always update your anti-virus program before running the scan. Remember too, there is no point in running the program if you don’t delete the viruses/malware found – not all anti-virus programs do this automatically.

Check for errors

Use ChkDsk to check for errors on your hard drive and repair any problems that it identifies. We suggest that you run a back up before you use this application.

Clean up your cabling

Just about everybody has a mass of cabling running from the monitor, keyboard, printer and the house power points. The danger here is that this can cause stress on the computer ports and connections which could lead to some expensive repairs. It is a good idea to bundle up your cables using twisty ties for example which will also prevent snagging of wires and loosening of cords.

Startup

Some programs automatically configure to run when the computer is booted. This can significantly slow down the speed of your computer and in most cases, is totally unnecessary. Not only do they slow the boot time but they also slow the performance of your machine as they run in the background – you may not even be aware of this fact.

Reboot

If you close down your computer you should find when rebooting that the machine performs better. This is because a computer left running uses up system resources which are then returned when you reboot.

Delete unused software

Most people continually add programs and updates and never remove old unused ones. This takes up more and more space on the hard drive. It is good to regularly (say once a month or two) go through and delete and programs and files that you no longer need. Also, don’t forget those temporary files which after time can consume a significant amount of space on your machine.

Updates

Do not ignore messages telling you to update your software.  You can also find updates and patches freely available on the internet. Updating is becoming more and more of an issue and is essential if you want to avoid hardware incompatibilities and software conflicts – also again we restate the absolute necessity of updating your anti-virus programs.

Defrag

We also recommend a regular defrag of your computer hard drive, this will help optimise the performance of your machine.  When files are added and removed the hard disk becomes fragmented with pieces of files in various locations which slows the computers ability to access data swiftly.  Always back up your data before running a defrag.

How to Maintain your Computer by Affordable Computer Repairs and Service, 48 Octantis Street on the corner of Mars Street in Coorparoo, Brisbane.

How to tell if you have a failing hard drive

Nobody wants a failed hard drive – it is one of the more expensive repair jobs and there is always the terrible risk of loss of data through a corrupt drive. It is so important to do regular backups in the event of a hard drive failure.

Keeping an eye open for the symptoms of hard drive failure may in some instances give you some warning that the problem is going to occur and allow you the time to do a fast back up before the drive fails completely.

Symptoms of a failing hard drive

Below are some of the symptoms of a failing hard drive – they are however not exclusive to a failing hard drive, it could be another problem with your computer. Either way, you need to take action if you have one or more of these problems occurring with your machine.

• Errors when booting your computer
• Computer crashes when booting
• Scrambled or changed file and folder names
• Errors when performing normal operations on your machine
• Loss of files and folders
• Computer freezes for long periods when you are trying to access files or programs
• You lose access to a device
• Rubbish output when you print or open your files
• You hear a clicking sound coming from your computer
• The computer seems to be heating up more than it did previously
• Corrupted data within your files
• Chkdsk runs when you start up your computer
• You hear a beep when booting that you didn’t hear before
• Your computer runs really slowly.

Help your hard drive last longer

Generally wear and tear are the major causes of a hard drive failure, but you can help your drive to last longer.

One way to do this is to prevent overheating of your computer. This is usually caused by a build-up of dust within your machine. You should minimise dust build-up by keeping the area around your computer clean.

You should also consider regularly cleaning your machine yourself with a can of compressed air – or take it to a repair business for a routine maintenance job. Poor ventilation is also a cause of overheating, make sure that your machine is located in a position that allows airflow.

Over-use of your machine can also weaken your hard drive. If you never turn off your machine, you should consider changing this habit and if you don’t think you are going to use the computer for a period of time, turn it off.

Be careful with your laptop, a physical shock such as a dropped laptop can cause your hard drive to fail.

Hard drive repair

If the problem with your hard drive is related to software issues such as bad sectors on the drive this may be repairable.

However, if the hard drive is failing mechanically the only solution is to replace it.

We can help you with both repairing bad sectors on your disk as well as replacing your hard drive.

If it is too late and your hard drive has failed, we offer an affordable data recovery service.

Affordable Computer Repairs and Service, 48 Octantis Street Coorparoo. Call us today on 3397 1215 or 0409 974 707 for hard drive repair services.

Symptoms of Bad RAM

How do I know if there is a problem with my RAM? Some of the symptoms of your computer’s memory may be another problem with your machine rather than the memory, however, we have provided the most common symptoms that could indicate a fault with your machines RAM.

• Your laptop or PC crashes intermittently.
• Computer freezes.
• Files are randomly corrupted.
• Blue screen of death.
• Beeps occurring during booting.
• The computer doesn’t boot at all.
• Computer randomly reboots.
• Distorted graphics on your computer screen.
• Performance of your machine deteriorates over time.
• You see a blue screen with white text as your computer boot.s
• Installation of programs fails.

What can you do if you have a problem with your RAM?

Replace the RAM by trying another stick.

Test your ram with a diagnostic tool such as Memtest86+ or DocMemory.

How does your RAM get damaged?

Fault in the memory module.

A power surge – we recommend that you use a surge protector.

Excessive heat.

Fault in the memory slot.

Summary

The good news is that if you need to replace your ram on your computer it is a relatively inexpensive repair that we do all the time.

Please remember though that the symptoms provided above could be an indication of bad ram but may also be a symptom of another problem with your computer which may or may not be such a simple repair job.

How do I know if there is a problem with my RAM?

This article was written by Affordable Computer Repairs and Service, 48 Octantis Street, Coorparoo, Qld.

When there is no sound coming from your computer there are many potential causes for this problem.

The Obvious

Check the sound settings on your speakers someone (one of your children?) may have turned the sound off.

Check the sound settings on your computer – it may inadvertently have been turned to mute. Depending on your operating system there may be a small sound icon on the bottom right of your screen, click on this and check the sound settings.

Make sure that your headphones are not plugged in – if they are your speakers will be disabled and this could be the cause of no sound.

See if it is your speakers that have gone on the blink by plugging in headphones or another set of speakers.

Check to see if your cables have become loose or disconnected. It may also be that the cables are no longer working properly, switch the sound cables with other cables to eliminate this as the issue.

Make sure the sound card is enabled in the Device Manager of your computer.

The Not So Obvious

Your audio drivers might be out-of-date, this can occur due to windows updates.

Codecs may be missing, in this instance, you need to install the audio codecs that are relevant for the version of windows that you are running.

A potentially relatively quick fix is to try a system restore – choose an earlier period when hopefully you didn’t have the sound problem and restore your system to that point in time. If it doesn’t work choose an earlier time point.

Check with windows audio service, this may solve the problem.

You could reinstall the audio drivers from the device manager.

 

Contact Us

If none of the above solves your problem, you may have a defective sound card which you will need to replace. Unless you are computer savvy you will need to obtain the assistance from a computer repair business. Contact us today on 3397 1215 or 0409 974 707.